Harry Potter Alphabet
by Mystery101926
Summary: Did you ever wonder where Arabella Figg came from? Or what Billy Stubbs thought of Tom Riddle? Look no further for these and more mysteries explored. A collection of random one-shots or thoughts of the characters. Constructive criticism welcome.
1. Arabella Figg

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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* * *

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_Mrs. Figg was a squib in Harry's neighborhood. _

* * *

_**A is for Arabella Figg**_

I never know how to act around my parents, I know I'm a disappointment. How could a squib not be to pure-blood parents? I can still remember that day they realized I would never be a wizard. It was on my eleventh birthday, we had not received a letter and my mother was trying to deny the fact that her youngest child was ungifted. They got into a fight and I shudder whenever I recall it.

* * *

In an old house, in an old neighborhood, within a house that spoke of purebloods, and the very best of them too, there are three figures present. Two adults and one child. They are debating her future.

"She's just a late bloomer that's all! There's nothing wrong with her, she has magic."

"Honey, she's never shown any signs..."

"Just shut up!!! My daughter will be great and there's no doubt about it."

"Honey,"

"Don't you honey me you #$!%$!! You don't even know the meaning of family! And while your family may be made up of filthy squibs, mine never has and never will!!" To the child who has started crying, "It'll be alright Arabella. I won't let this man crush your dreams.'

"Arabella, you can still have a normal muggle life, even if you're not a wizard. I'll make it okay for you." The child senses the calm in the man and reaches out to accept his offer, but is slapped by her mother.

"Don't even think of it. I'll take you to a nice doctor who will fix everything," to the man who has advanced, "Stay out of this! You lost your decision in the matter when you denied her magic."

"But she doesn't have any and nothing you do can change that." He sounds tired as though it is an old argument and he is making the same point. This seems to enrage the woman and she whips out her wand.

"You think I'm crazy. Don't you? But I'll show you, I'll show everybody. One day when Arabella is grown you'll regret this decision. Now, I'm going to leave you with the house. Have fun with the other children, goodbye."

When the woman got to the door, she turned to see the man looking at her with relief. "Oh, you're not getting off that easily," she mutters something under her breath and the furniture starts attacking him, "that will show you who's crazy." She said as she left without one backwards glance.

She was not aware that the child had made her decision already, she would leave her mother and live in the other world. The one where her daddy had said she'd be normal in. All she had to do was leave mommy, permanently.

* * *

After all these years, she still has not realized that in leaving her mother, she actually had used magic. Her mother would never recognize her on a street, she doesn't even remember her. All her mother remembered was fighting with her husband and leaving him. She didn't know why, but there were always problems at home and over the years her mind filled in the gaps.

She had escaped for a time, but the magical world seemed to have followed Arabella and her beloved cats. One day she came home to see an elderly man with a twinkle in his eye on her doorstep. "I was wondering," he started, "would you be interested in doing me a favor? There's this boy, and I want you to keep an eye on him as he's growing up, he'll be very important to the future of the wizarding world."

For the life of her Arabella couldn't figure out why she had agreed, was it possible she had missed all the commotion of wizardry?

* * *

Note: These are my ideas for the rest of the alphabet

Feel free to offer any suggestions. If you think you have a better idea, or if you have a request, just tell me.

The list is on my profile.


	2. Billy Stubbs

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is one character and one shot for each letter

* * *

In case you didn't remember, Billy Stubbs was a muggle boy at the orphanage with Tom Riddle. (He was the one who had his rabbiot hung after a fight with Tom) This one-shot is Billy reflecting solely on Tom Riddle and his effects on the children of the orphanage.  
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* * *

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_**B is for Billy Stubbs**_

Tom Riddle, the Golden Boy of the Orphanage.

He was so irritating.

Better than us because he got a scholarship to go away to school.

Better, because he could charm all the adults.

Always better.

Even when we fought him, we suffered.

Not that he was strong enough to overpower us, he was always beaten to a pulp.

No, strange things just "happened" after he got beaten up.

And if they happened to those that were responsible, it was a coincidence and the blame could never be pinned to him.

* * *

After he went away to school, we could rest easy until the summer.

We were still always compared to him and found lacking.

When he came back over the summer, it was torture for us.

He could always find some way to torment us without being caught.

Not that we had any proof, besides that sickening smile of his and the way he seemed to rejoice in our suffering.

I was glad when he finished his last year of schooling and didn't come back.

He was beginning to wear all of the children down like an ocean wearing down a rock.

In a way that seemed gentle at first, and was not apparent.

Little by little, year by year, until that rock became a little pebble.

That was how Tom Riddle made us feel, like we were a little pebble and he was the ocean.

He had to prove it to us constantly. Almost as if he were proving it to himself.

* * *

When he got back from school each year, it got worse.

He would find new ways to torment us, and even sneakier ways of not getting caught.

It got to the point where the little ones would run away from him screaming when they saw him.

He would just charm the Orphanage ladies, make them think it was all a game, and then hunt down the children to punish them for running away.

That's how it was, he would punish us for any little thing.

You took the last dessert, you were punished.

You woke up in the middle of the night, you were punished.

You bothered Tom in any little way, you were punished.

Near the end he just seemed to delight in inflicting pain and punished us when he felt like it.

The days of beating him up were over, now he mentally tormented, us day and night.

Sometimes you could catch a glimpse of the madness I believed he held within.

Like when he hung my rabbit, that was one of his first tricks and I don't know how he managed it without getting caught.

He was forever bullying us when he was at the Orphanage, the only home the rest of us had ever known.

We plotted and planned while he was gone to bring him down, but it never worked.

It usually only increased the punishments.

Eventually he had all the others eating out of his hand.

No one knew where he got the power, but in the end everyone wanted some.

Except for me that is.

I could still see that madness in the gleam of his eye, in the movement of his arm, and in the expressions on his face.

To him we were not real people, only something to be manipulated.

A way for him to feel important though he was only an orphan and alone in the world like us.

I was the only obstacle left in his way.

He became a hurricane rather than the ocean, and I a boulder.

In his path merely to spite him, forcing him to use every trick in the book and then some.

* * *

I think that was what, in the end, drove me mad.

Now all I can do is think about the shortcomings of Tom Riddle.

I cannot work and I can't even think without him popping up in there.

Even though I am now free of his torture, I am still experiencing it mentally.

I have tried to tell people that he had some sort of power unknown to the rest of us.

I was just labeled as mad and carted off here.

Here it is safe and I know he cannot get to me.

Finally after all those years of torment, I am free.

* * *

_**Next up: C for Charity Burbage**_


	3. Charity Burbage

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is one character and one shot for each letter_

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* * *

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_Charity Burbage was the Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts

* * *

**C is for Charity Burbage**_

Charity, my mother had named me that because she heard, somewhere, that it meant generous love.

I think it was some sort of wish for my treatment.

I grew up in a muggle neighborhood as my mother was studying their behavior and was always taught tolerance for all beings.

We often had visitors who appeared to be human that, in actuality, were disguised in order to enter the home.

They had the most interesting stories of adventure, but there was an aura of sadness surrounding them.

Even as a child I could feel it.

They were often better examples of wizards than those who were completely accepted.

Countless times they were pursued by some of the worst of our world.

It was almost enough to make me hate myself.

I was a part of the world that was trying to dispose of the very best.

Sure they were werewolves, giants, gnomes, house elves(rarely), and half-bloods, but they were much better examples of our world.

I may have just been exposed to the best of the outcasts and the worst of the wizards, but I always felt that the treatment given was unfair.

Was it any wonder that I wanted everyone to be given equal chances?

* * *

That was what led me to this situation I'm in now I guess.

I couldn't just let the mistreatment escalate.

No matter how much I knew I would suffer for it, I just couldn't keep my quill to myself, my sense of justice was just too strong.

Unfortunately that led me directly here, back to my current state suspended over a table of bloodthirsty deatheaters.

I knew they would take offense, I knew they wouldn't let it by. I scolded myself, why couldn't you have let it go, just this once?

Calm down, think on the happier times, this is no time to panic. Don't remember the death eaters below you, watching as a snake watches its prey.

Following that line of thought, my mind follows a darker turn.

The last time You-oh bloody hell, just call him Tom Marvalo Riddle, Jr. He just loves that name. But anyway in his first bid for power no one was permitted to stand in their way. Every obstacle was simply and effectively eliminated, after they had their fun of course.

Abruptly my thoughts are brought back to the present when I hear a voice that sends shivers down my spine, "Yaxley. Snape. You were very nearly late. Severus here, Yaxley-beside Dolohov." I cannot see anything anymore, my strength is deteriorating but that voice captures me. That voice is the reason for all this terror and chaos. The anger begins to course through my veins and I'm temporarily revived, just in time to hear Snape, I will never call that traitor a professor again, giving away all of the carefully laid plans of the Order of the Phoenix to protect Harry Potter on the eve he loses the defense Dumbledore's magic gave him. He is destroying our only hope, their only chance that anyone will survive this.

My struggles against my restraints and failing strength begin in earnest now, all my thoughts are focused on freeing myself and warning the Order.

My efforts are futile and only my weariness increases.

The next thing I hear as I drift in and out of consciousness is Tom Marvalo Riddle, Jr. taunting me, Snape, and the young Malfoy boy all at once.

None of us take the bait, whether from will or apathy I am not certain.

But, why am I begging for my life now?I have accepted my death as inevitable, I would not beg. I know Snape cannot save me.

And as my life is extinguished, I am looking down into his eyes, I see anguish, perhaps regret, and last of all my own green eyes reflected back at me before the peaceful blackness envelops me at last.

* * *

Sorry this took so long, I usually don't make excuses, but my computer was being annoying and I couldn't save it for some reason.

**Next up: Dean Thomas**

It might take me a little while to update because my AP class is taking up more and more of my time. (Environmental Science) I'll do my best though.

Tell me if you find any spelling or grammar mistakes so I can fix them.

Thanks for reading!!


	4. Dean Thomas

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter

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_Dean was in Harry's year at Hogwarts in Gryffindor_

* * *

_**D is for Dean Thomas**_

Maybe you've heard of me, Dean Thomas, Gryffindor and in the same year as Harry Bloody Potter. The same Harry Potter who saved the wizarding world and almost got us all killed. I mean, that last battle thing, everyone was refusing to turn him in even though we would all die unless we surrendered him. Sure he's our savior, but anyone in us in Gryffindor would have done the same. Look at Neville, he grew up in the year Harry deserted the school. I had to split too because we don't know if my father was a wizard, but everyone is all "where did you go?" and "that was so irresponsible of you to just go off like that." Harry's gone, and the whole wizarding world roots for him, says oh he's saving all of us, let him go.

I know I owe him my life, and that just makes it worse. The guy who stole my girlfriend and almost caused the destruction of life as we know it, and I am indebted to him. I know I'm bitter and jealous and sound all whiny, but why did it have to be Harry? I could have handled it and then maybe I'd be famous and get the girl instead of having to watch someone else get all I ever wanted.


	5. Hestia Jones

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter

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_Hestia was a member of the Order of the Phoenix  
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* * *

_**H is for Hestia Jones  
**_

As readied the Dursleys for their transfer to a safe haven, my mind could only think of how different my encounters with them (and their house) have been.

The first time I saw them was the summer after You-Know-Who returned. I had to pretend to be rating lawns to support the invitation they would receive a few days later. Mrs. Dursley eyed me suspiciously until I explained what I was doing. (Luckily I had dressed in proper Muggle clothes for the occassion.) After she heard I represented The Committee for the Best Lawn in Little Whinging she gave me full tour of her yard and garden plots. She was so flattered the comittee would look at her yard, she even invited me inside. Of course I had to refuse, there was a chance Harry might recognize me.

The next time I was in their house was that same year in order to collect Harry and deliver him safely to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. We were all trying to be quiet, even Tonks, though she broke a plate. Technically we were breaking and entering, but I don't think the house minded so much. Harry was happy to leave, every year he was counting down the days until he could get away (we saw the countdown in his room).

Now, though, the Dursleys were scared. Their house had always been safe and they couldn't help but blame Harry. Dudley seemed more grown up than we had ever given him credit for. He actually realized that if they were in danger just from living with him, then Harry must be in even worse trouble. It showed me people can change, and if Muggles can do it then there's hope that the children of Death Eaters can change too. After all they're not about to let a Muggle outdo them.


	6. Narcissa Malfoy

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter

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_Narcissa Malfoy was Draco's mother and Lucius's wife  
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* * *

_**N is for Narcissa Malfoy**_

Narcissa looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed.

She had been waiting for this day all her life, the day she would be freed from her overbearing father.

However, it seemed that Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be much better.

Her mouth curled into a scowl, all men always had to be in control didn't they.

She had been hoping that her wedding day would mark the end of her unending obedience, that whoever her new husband was, he would cut her some slack.

Lucius was handsome, she would admit it, but he knew it and so he was arrogant.

She sighed again.

Hopefully she would be able to use that against him, but he was well defended on all fronts.

She was getting sick of all this pureblood tradition.

Her parents picked him out and they negotiated with his parents.

Well, they could surely come to their own arrangements regardless of their parents' wishes.

All she wanted was a little of her own space and room to do her own will.

As for him, she smirked, all guys were basically the same.

She was sure she could persuade him to see things her way.

Her reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door, "Yes, what do you want?"

"The groom is waiting for you Cissy."

"Thanks Bella, I'll be right out."

With that she stood up and looked her self over once more.

Then without looking back she left her old room and marched into her new life.


	7. Olive Hornby

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter

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_Olive Hornby was at school with Moaning Myrtle before she was a ghost  
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* * *

_**O is for Olive Hornby**_

"Mrytle, Myrtle, Myrtle! Why does she always have to be the center of attention?" Olive ranted to herself.

This was the fifth time this semester that she was being sent after Myrtle. It wasn't her fault the girl was so sensitive about her glasses.

Okay, maybe it was her fault for always teasing her, but still, that didn't give Myrtle the right to keep running away.

Especially now with all those deaths going on in the school.

Maybe that was why the professors got so worried when they realized Myrtle was missing.

Olive stopped her mental rambling as she entered the girl's bathroom, it was where Myrtle usually ran to.

"Myrtle! Where are you?? Are you in here again, sulking, Myrtle? Professor Dippet asked me to look for you. We have to get back to class. They don't want anyone wandering the halls alone."

As she stopped then to wonder why they let her out by herself, her body kept moving and opened the last stall's door.

She screamed and screamed and screamed.

The teachers found her there later when they realized she hadn't come back.

She couldn't talk, she had screamed herself hoarse.

What had scared her so?

Why, Myrtle's frozen but unmistakably dead body.

And not too soon after she recovered from her fright, Myrtle cam back to visit.

Now isn't that nice?

She had a constant reminder of that scene, and of her guilty conscience because if she hadn't teased Myrtle, then Myrtle never would have died that day.

Of course, she didn't quite appreciate that reminder, so she appealed to the Ministry of Magic and they limited Myrtle to the Hogwarts grounds.

There she became known as Moaning Myrtle to all the students and lived in the very bathroom she died in.

Olive Hornby went on with her life after being freed of Myrtle, but she couldn't completely forget that day however much she tried to block it out.

It always came back to haunt her.

* * *

Note: thank you for writing so patiently. I am currently working on Katie Bell, Narcissa Malfoy, Regulus Black, and Quirinus Quirrel and I know I'm going out of order, but I'm just doing the ones that are the easiest for me right now.

Sorry if some of them seem a little short, I'm trying not to force anything.


	8. Quirinus Quirrell

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter

* * *

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_Quirrel was a professor at Hogwarts in Harry's first year when he died  
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* * *

_**Q is for Quirinus Quirrel  
**_

The forest was dark and it had an oppressive atmosphere, the kind you would read about in Defense Against the Dark Arts books, but could never really imagine until you experienced it.

He had heard the locals warning travelers away from the wood with tales of the horror it housed.

Of course he had scoffed, what do Muggles know about dangers that would threaten a wizard.

He knew enough of the people in that area to know they were a superstitious lot.

Now, though, it seemed they were right.

The whole forest seemed to be permeated with an evil presence.

He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. It was a sinister feeling, not the innocent one of being admired.

A rat scurried by and he jumped.

The sense of being followed exploded in his brain and he paniced.

He had no experience in the field, what did he know about facing actual danger?

Maybe if he had known he would have avoided the whole mess that destroyed his life.

But, it is of no use to dwell upon "could haves," he didn't know, and so he walked into the biggest trap of his life.

A meeting with a force who-must-not-be-named.

Where he was seduced by power and fear.

In a way that would rob him of his life to further the force's own ends.

Oh yes, he didn't know it yet, but Quirinus Quirrel was doomed.


	9. Regulus Black

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter

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_Regulus was Sirius Black's brother  
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* * *

_**R is for Regulus Black**_

Regulus Black.

How I hated my name.

Hated how my brother could just slip away while I was left to uphold the family morals.

Huh, morals. It's more of a lack of them.

My mother just about makes me sick.

All this nonsensical blabber about our greatness and pureness.

She sure forgot about Andromeda quickly enough, just blast her off the tapestry and poof, the problem's gone.

Mother will be crazy soon, unless she already is. It is quite hard to tell....

But she's forcing me into this cult almost centered around this "Lord" Voldermort.

He looks familar, but I can't quite place him...

Curse my brother for wiggling out of this too.

Why couldn't I have been the disreputable son?

But, no. I was placed in Slytherin and so Slytherin I must be.

There's no happy escape for me.

Yet, what makes us so different?

Regulus sounds much the same as Sirius.

One is no fairer than the other, but one slipped away and the other is caught fast in an ever tightening noose.

Once I have entered the "Cult" (what I have dubbed it, not what they call themselves) there will be no way out.

Perhaps I'm merely exchanging one prison for another.

Though both are imposed by my family name, I am wishing for the new one to have some hidden trapdoor.

My current cage leaves me only this as a way to open the door.

My mother is simply unlocking this cage and moving me to a nicer cage.

I'll still be in a place she can admire, but someone else will hold the key.

I wonder if she can tell that I have become desperate.

Now I just want out, ironically I refuse to take the coward's route because I am a coward.

I wonder how that will have me fare in this new stage of my life.

Luckily the members of the "cult" seem brainwashed by their leader.

Influenced by both fear and greed, they think less than they should.

Though I wonder, why are they all so intimidated by him?

He is just a man after all....


	10. Unspeakables

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is one character and one shot for each letter

* * *

_

_The Unspeakables work in the department of mysteries and are not allowed to talk about what they do.  


* * *

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**U is for Unspeakables  
**

We are the Unspeakables.

We have no voice in the outside world.

It is as if we do not exist.

All we have is our work.

Not much else can happen when you work the day away, yet cannot speak of it.

It's not that we have it hard, it's just our job is the sort of thing that would be nice to talk about.

We think we're crazy sometimes, we don't know if all this could really be happening.

It seems so unreal, so unlike what should be.

Our job is the unknown in our world, meddled in by the muggles.

We have to keep it pure.

Yet no one must ever know what we do.

It's discouraging really, the level of secrecy we are bound to.

We have nothing to look forward to when we go home.

Work rules our lives, our worthless lives.

We are nothing.

We can be replaced and none the wiser.

We do not matter, only the secrecy of our task.

At times it seems our true meaning is to preserve secrets of magic, love, and life.

Yet the only thing it seems to do is preserve jealousy, fear, and distrust of us who so diligently complete our jobs while forbidden to speak of it.

* * *

**Next up: V is for Vincent Crabbe**

Sorry, I know it's a little short and I know I'm going a little out of order, but this one was written, I won't be able to get to the others any time soon, and it seemed like a waste not to post it. (I am working on Crabbe's and Dean's right now, but I don't know when they'll be finished)


	11. Vincent Crabbe

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is one character and one shot for each letter

* * *

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_Vincent Crabbe was in Harry's year in Slytherin, he was one of Draco's "sidekicks" and usually accompanied by Goyle and Malfoy  


* * *

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**V is for Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle**

It was quite simple really, we were not his friends, rather a nice little agreement existed between us.

We got homework, he got protection.

Some of his power wore off on us, and some of our intimidating presence wore off on him.

Our nice little agreement, once he understood it the nerd became bearable.

Of course, everyone thought we were his sidekicks, but the worst threats often remain unseen,

the best spies are those who blend in.

* * *

It's not that we were unintelligent, we just had no need for a reputation, just one that would allow people to let their guards down.

We were quite the troublemakers Goyle and I.

And Malfoy had no clue.

He thought he controlled us, we joked about that behind his back.

Congratulating ourselves on such a thorough deception.

Not even those in our own house could see through our act, did not Slytherins possess great ambition?

Did you not wonder why we were in Slytherin?

The hat saw through us, but that was his job.

Anyway, it's not as though he would tell anyone.

* * *

We almost hit our breaking point with Malfoy in our sixth year.

He was completely treating us like slaves.

Not to mention how embarrassing it was to dress up as a girl, what if someone had figured it out?

It would almost have been worth it to rub in his face how we had deceived him,

but Goyle preached patience.

* * *

In our seventh year, our chance finally came.

With the new administration of the school, we could cast away our illusions of stupidity.

We quickly rose to the top without Malfoy there to hide behind.

It gets boring when there's no student top dog to follow, so we became that top dog.

Our dominion in Hogwarts was short lived because of stupid Potter.

If he had just died like he was supposed to, I would not be forced to live this half life.

Stuck in the Room of Requirement with the fiendfyre and the Horcrux, I seem to have become like a horcrux of myself.

Neither alive nor dead, and with no one coming in here, stuck.

Abandoned by Goyle and all I ever cared about.

Forced to dispose of the "we" and now left only with "I."

I am more insubstantial than a ghost,

but still feel hunger.

Hunger for

Revenge.

**

* * *

**

**Next up is: W for Wilbert Slinkhard**

Whaddya know? Two in one day, I guess I find the ones near the end of the alphabet easier to write.

I'm halfway done with Dean's....


	12. Yaxley

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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* * *

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_Yaxley was a Death Eater, we don't find out his first name._

* * *

_**Y is for Yaxley**_

"You ask me why I became a Death Eater, I know the answer you want, the one that will set me free. But I confess to it all, all of the deaths and threats, and I admit to have done it under my own free will. Following that path, the one I chose all those years ago, I must stay true to my character. I cannot have my contributions thought to be tainted by fear.

So I will tell you the truth and hope you can see I will not be swayed by your petty ministry or pathetic attempts to "cure" me. There is nothing wrong with me, nothing you can do to change my outlook.

Power. That is my reason. The thrill of knowing all will bow to you. The ability to instill fear in a room merely by entering it. I thrived off all of it. The raw power, the carte-blanche we were allowed. To anyone like me, the offer was irrestible.

Better yet was the revenge. Revenge on those who had all I didn't, be it family, wealth, or power. Revenge on those who made my life a living h**l at school. Anybody and everybody I could blame for anything. Anyone who stood in my way. The sheer power of a Death Eater in the wizarding world was enough to hook me. After I accepted that offer there was nothing anyone could do to make me stop."

The glint in his eye scared me, they were right he was insane, but he didn't stop talking.

"And you can't stop me. Not now, not ever, I will not give in. I will not surrender."

"Guards, guards!" I scream as he inches closer to me. They swiftly remove me from harm. But, even as I'm being escorted out of the facility, I can still hear his voice and see that crazy look in his eyes.


	13. Katie Bell

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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* * *

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_Katie Bell was a chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team._

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* * *

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**K is for Katie Bell**

Terror. I was arguing with her but my mind was dazed. The wrapping slipped and then there was nothing but pure terror. The mysterious package was for Dumbledore, I don't know how I knew that or what was in it, but it had to go to Dumbledore. The terror was worsened by that thought, that this was intended for him and I would have brought it upon him.

But all that fear that filled my body, that was not caused by any harmless trinket. I could feel myself being lifted off the ground.

I can't remember much after that, vaguely a hospital bed, some blurry faces, wizards and witches in healer's robes. Just a string of memories that don't really fit together.

Looking back, all I should say is I was lucky to survive, that I was not the first of the students to die.

But, after living through the second wizarding war, all the chaos and fear, with rogue death eaters on the loose, was it a blessing or a curse?


	14. Eileen Prince

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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_Eileen Prince was Severus Snape's mother.  
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_**E is for Eileen Prince  
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"You will always be a Prince." I remember my mother telling me that as a child. Of course I answered with something like, "I can't be a Prince, I'm a girl." She just laughed and told me I'd understand someday.

But, I don't. Living in this dismal hovel I certainly do not feel like a Prince. The only reason I stay is because of my son, Severus. He looks not a whit like his father, which unfortunately means he could pass for my brother. I can't leave him here and there's no place for him in my world. My mother was horrified when I married a muggle, but I was young. I was disillusioned with the wizarding world. It seemed that there should not be inequality in our world, we all had the means to a good life, there shouldn't be discrimination against those with more or less talent. Marrying Tobias was a sort of rebellion I suppose, but at the time he was sweet and just as idealistic as I was.

Now that's what causes our problems. He knows I'm a witch and that's the only way any cleaning gets done. He's become disenchanted with his world, the only one he's known, while I still have hope. The Muggles don't have power over another group as we do. As long as they don't get real power, like magic, there's hope. He thinks it is already too late, the damage is done and it can't be fixed. It's why he's become bitter and sour. He can't stand it anymore, I think most idealists come to this sad, ornery end; Apathy. They "know" they can't do anything so they try to forget their old hopes and dreams.

He's been taking his frustration out on us, but soon Severus will be in school and I can deal with Tobias. Perhaps I can remind him of our dreams for the world and revive the man I once knew. There's always hope, right?


	15. Wilbert Slinkhard

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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_Wilbert Slinkhard was the author of Defensive Magical Theory, the textbook Professor Umbridge used to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.  
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_**W is for Wilbert Slinkhard**_

You know who I am, otherwise you would not be readingthis article about my book, _ Defensive Magical Theory _. It's quite well known and if you haven't heard of it, I don't know where you've been. Probably in some cave or perhaps in Azkaban. Either way, you should read it. It was even included in the cor of the Defebse Against the Dark Artd class at Hogwarts one year.

Now this is supposed to tell you how I came to write such a popular book. Popular because the use of such skills is greatly discouraged and with children, unruly and rowdy as they are, this point must be emphasized.

My fabulous book teaches only the theory and does not expand upon that. You may think tgat's no help, but just as violence begets violence, so do jinxes beget jinxes. If you take away the ability to start the cycle, it will never happen. Yes, and that genius idea is the basis of my book.

My critics may say this book is only the result of childhood bullying, but they're lying. Even if there were some bullies who "practiced" some of their nastiest jinxes on me. That has no effect on this book whatsoever. Nope, not even the slightest influence on me.


	16. Xenophilius Lovegood

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

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_Xenophilius Lovegood was Luna Lovegood's father and editor of the Quibbler.  
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_**X is for Xenophilius Lovegood**_

"They've taken her, she's lost! Oh! My poor little Luna!Where could she be?"

"It's okay dad, shush now. I'm here."

"They've taken her! I can't save her! Help her!"

It just about breaks my heart that this is what my father is reduced to. He used to be one of the brightest wizards of our time, being editor of The Quibbler and all. Now he barely hears me talk, let alone remember what a nargle is.

When they first took me I was glad that my father was left alone and safe. Now I see it might have been better if he had been the one taken, he's been destroyed beyond recognition from my kidnapping.

My friends barely recognize me, I've become slightly bitter. Seeing ones father deteriorate before ones very eyes does tend to do that to a person. I don't even want to be in the same room as him anymore. All of his ramblings just remind me that I cannot do anything to help.

* * *

I sense, more than see, my daughter leave. My mind is confused. I can't quite remember what happened. She was gone, now she's back, but at times I think I've only dreamed she's returned. Those are the times I worry her the most, I have to scream and yell to make sure she's actually here and she runs in; an able daughter to help her ailing father. Losing her, if only for a time, ruined me. I kept imagining her tortured, alone, and starving. SHe managed better than I did, by the time she got back I was literally crazy with worry.

She's all I have left and I feel myself draining her. She's not quite who she was, and it's my fault.

"Luna, Luna, she's in trouble! Where's my Luna? She's dead and in the bottom of a lake! She's dying slowly and painfully! Oh, my poor, poor Luna! It's all my fault! Look at me, your father, healthy and whole while you're rotting in some unknown hole! This is not how it's supposed to be," by this point his screams have become a whispered prayer, "save me, save me."

* * *

When Luna rushes into the room, he has already left in peace.

Of course, she thinks bitterly, the crazy old man dies from a heart attack. She laughs, a hollow, empty laugh at the irony of his life. He survived explorations in places dangerous even to wizards. He survived the First Wizarding War. He survived countless death eater attacks. By Ministry statistics he even survived the Second Wizarding War.

Now, though, she knows he was dead from the moment she was taken. He could not live with himself for allowing that to happen. He lived only as a shadow of himself for the past years and by her reckoning he was merely the last victim of Voldemort's brutality.

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**AN:** sorry for the POV changes, it just made more sense to me this way


	17. Irma Pince

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

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_Irma Pince was the Hogwarts librarian.  
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_**I is for Irma Pince**_

Librarian. I had thought it would be a nice, quiet job. I had always valued silence as well as the calming effects of a well written book, whatever the topic. I thought a library would be the perfect place to find both, right? Wrong. Not at Hogwarts at least.

Here students have barely looked at a spell before they are itching to use it. I can't tell how many time the library has been _this_ close to blowing up and how many books have been almost destroyed by spells gone wrong. That's not the worst of it though.

The restricted section. Most students know it's restricted for a reason, but some just don't value their personal safety, or that of anyone else. Those books shouldn't even be in this school. Many of them should be locked away in the farthest reaches of the universe, far from any practicing witches and wizards. Not to mention curious students. I can't recall how many times I've heard, "But, I didn't mean to, honest," right after an oops or whoops.

And then there's the food. Someone always thinks they can hide their damaging activities. Food brings mice and bugs and ants. All of which are bad for a single book, and worse for a library. The kids may hate me for being so strict, but it seems the only way they learn is the hard way. Like when their books start chasing them out of the library.

Girls like Hermione Granger are fine, but those hooligans she hangs out with have absolutely no respect for books. Sometimes I wonder if they even know what a book is for, not writing in but referencing! On top of all that most of the students are just too loud. Luckily they never stay for long once I start glaring at them.

I wish they all could just understand, this is a bloody library, not a social hall!


	18. John Dawlish

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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_John Dawlish was an Auror  
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_**J is for John Dawlish**_

Ouch! That one hurt! How is it that I always end up incapacitated in some way? It's not that I am incapable of performing well, it just seems that I always end up worse than the other guy.

I have trained for years to be a highly accomplished auror, yet even after all that training, Dumbledore can still knock me down with one simple spell. I know it's Dumbledore, but still. One spell? Am I not worth two or even three small spells?

If I get taken out that easily, maybe I'm in the wrong career path. I might have been better off with a nice desk job. You don't get hexed nearly as much sitting at a desk.

I guess my life is not really worth anything to the Ministry. I even almost caused Harry Potter's death when the Death Eaters used that Confundus on me. I'm always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then of course I made the decision to survive when the Ministry was overtaken by the Death Eaters. Helping the regime put down muggleborns was fine as long as they didn't notice me. I stayed out of their way and I was safe.

Of course I had to sacrifice my morals, but I'd been doing that since I started working at the Ministry. I don't know anyone lucky enough to follow all their beliefs all the time. As an auror, the Ministry's ideals always came first. The transition to You-Know-Who's reign wasn't too hard, just another set of ideas from someone else. Anyway, part of my training was to adapt to your situation.

Now, I think I probably could have stood up for myself (and the rest of the wizarding world), but my whole life I've been cowed by other people and their wants. It's part of my bad luck I suppose. Always being beaten, I adopt the principles of the one who surpasses me. Like those poor dogs whose owners don't want them, but want their owners to love them so much, they put up with everything and keep coming back to see if their owner will love them now. And every owner I get just happens to keep a little piece of me when they switch possession.

That is why I did not fight for my position back at the Ministry. For one, I don't deserve it. For another, I don't quite know who I am. I've been a bad guy, a good guy, and an in-between guy. But, I don't know which I am. My life has always been directed by someone else. First family, then teachers, then mentors, then the Ministry, then You-Know-Who's version of the Ministry. When do I get to decide for myself?

Lucky for me so many people were frightened into assisting You-Know-Who's Ministry that most of us were not sent to Azkaban. It's in our records, but we are not being charged or imprisoned for it. Now, at last, I am free. I plan on traveling around the world, both wizarding and muggle, to see the best and worst of both worlds.

Who knows, maybe by the time I'm done I'll have found myself.


	19. Tobias Snape

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

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_Tobias Snape was the muggle father of Severus Snape  
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_**T is for Tobias Snape**_

She was different from all the girls I had ever met. In retrospect that should have been my first clue that something was not quite right with her. At the time I thought she might be "the one." You know, the rumored soul mate that no one ever finds but you always hear about? Yeah, well I thought maybe I was the lucky guy who could actually find one.

The second signs were her mysterious comings and goings. We always met at the restaurant or dance or wherever we went on our dates. She would just suddenly come around the corner and walk on up to me. She never let me pick her up from her house or meet her parents. At the start of our relationship, I thought she was just shy. Maybe she didn't want her overprotective parents to embarrass her, or worse, scare me away. It actually made me feel more important, and truth be told she wasn't introduced to my parents. They were not the best people to have as parents and they showed me exactly what not to do in a relationship.

Her clothing and fashion sense was also a bit different. And for me to notice, it must be really different. Again I thought this was a good thing, she didn't care about society's standards, she had her own.

She was someone I could share all my hopes for a better future with. We thought along the same lines, but she was always more helpful than me. It was almost like talking to a child who's only just started seeing the world around her. At the time though, we were both children. Children foolishly planning an impossible future. But, we thought it was possible. That by working together we could make it happen.

So what do all hopelessly romantic young adults do when they meet someone like them? We eloped. Our honeymoon was spent picking a house in an extremely poor part of town and moving in. Why poor? Because the poor were the ones we were trying to help. At least that's the reason we gave ourselves, the real reason was we couldn't afford anything more.

That was when I found out she was a witch. My firs reaction wasn't, "Why were you lying to me?" Or anything like that. Instead I thought of all the good we could do with her magic. She said she couldn't and if I tried to make her or told anyone she was a witch she would leave. I left it at that, at the time I loved her.

As the years went on though, I began to resent her not using it. I thought it would help people who desperately needed our help. And as our financial situation deteriorated, I wondered why couldn't she help us at least?

Then we had a kid. I felt no connection with him, even though we had similar noses. Instead I was angry at her for bringing another person into this miserable world. That was the first time I hurt her, unfortunately not the last. She didn't leave. I started making her life as miserable as I could. To punish her. To show her how bad our world really was. How badly it needed fixing. I thought I could convince her to do something that way.

Frustratingly all she does is stand there. Is she not a witch? Why won't she protect herself? The only one she does protect is Severus. Poor kid, with a name like Severus Snape he'll either end up tough as steel or dead meat. His mother's coddling won't help him either.

I don't understand why she will stand up for him to me, but allow him to grow up in this hovel. Why she won't simply magic some things up to help him. She says I don't understand the way magic works. She is right in a way, I don't understand why I married her anymore.

We used to share all our dreams. Now she says she still does, but where are they? Mine are dying, slowly drying up and rotting at the same time. She says I'm not the person she married, but she's not the person I married either. I thought we agreed our ideals were worth fighting for, the most important reasons for being alive. She abandoned hers for this kid, our son, who should not exist. Our dreams came first, before we brought another person into the world. Before we signed him up for the painful journey of life. Before we settled down in this place.

We had a dream, a dream that we let die. A dream there was no place for in this world. I expect when we die ourselves we'll find this elusive dream of ours.

Maybe then we can find ourselves and see exactly what we did wrong in this life. Or maybe it won't matter anymore. Maybe I'll learn how to appreciate what I had when I had it.

Perhaps she'll forgive me when I find her. She always did love me, that's why she never left. Yes, that is my hope now.

I hope, my dear Eileen, that you will forgive me for all I put us through.


	20. Minerva McGonagall

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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_Minerva McGonagall was the transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.  
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_**M is for Minerva McGonagall**_

Minerva McGonagall was tired. No, she was exhausted. This new batch of students was definitely a handful. She all but collapsed on her chair at the end of class. That was when she saw IT mixed in with what few essays had been handed in.

IT was a questionnaire, probably made by a student, and addressed to her. The first question was, "Why are you such a strict, killjoy of a professor?"

This was a shock to Minerva, she never saw herself as super-strict. She always thought of herself as caring for her students and helping them reach their full potential by instilling a deep respect for the rules. Maybe she could be going a bit far by taking points from her own house, but she would show her students that the world could be fair. No, she frowned, that couldn't be right. Life isn't fair, is it? Favoritism is rampant in the Ministry today.

She was stuck, why did she rely on the rules so much? She never thought it all the way through before. She just always stopped once she reached the idea that rules were meant to keep people safe. She made a mental note to think about it when she was less tired.

Now the next question, "Why don't you have a boyfriend?" My students sure are getting nosier these days. This one she knew the answer to, but she certainly was not going to write it down.

At the time it had seemed perfectly natural to take the job offer over the marriage offer. She loved to teach and transfiguration was her favorite subject. At the time she thought he might wait. If they really loved each other, it would work out all right in the end. He didn't wait and after him, she couldn't be with anyone else. She was too involved in her work. She shook her head as if trying to erase the unpleasant memories from her head.

What else had they asked, "Why is your animagus a cat?" She couldn't keep herself from sighing at this one. Didn't her students pay any attention in their first class with her? She guessed not. At least this one wasn't too personal, an animagus form is directly related to your personality and abilities. You don't get to pick one, it chooses you, almost like a wand. A wand is symbolic of who you are and what you are capable of. You don't get to pick that. Wait, calm down. There's no need to to rant about it to yourself, it's only a question.

Speaking of questions, "Did you ever know Tom Riddle?" She froze, how could any current student know who that boy grew up to be, let alone the fact that she went to school with him?

Her mind drifts back to those many years ago. She was in her second or third year at Hogwarts, it was all so long ago she doesn't remember exactly which, when she first saw him. The strange little boy who was so calm and collected he could only be hiding his fear, even from himself. Seeing his strange, cold smile when he was sorted into Slytherin. By all appearances, your typical pure-blood, full of himself and cunning.

Later he was made prefect with her. He had seemed charming at the time, but his close circle of friends? Creepy in their devotion. She could remember thing he could be cute if his stony face would only crack. She was a little afraid that he would be made of ice or something equally as cold and unfeeling beneath his mask, so she always left him alone.

Even now, years later, his icy demeanor still sent shivers down her spine. Especially considering what he became. But, no student needed to know all that.

She dismissed that thought and moved on to the last question, "Do you know who we are?"

She snorted, literally. If she knew who was bold enough to ask her these questions, even if only on parchment, she would have them in detention for the rest of the year for disrespecting a professor. Sadly, it could have been any students from the previous class. Too bad Fred and George weren't at Hogwarts anymore, they would be her first suspects. As it was, they left last year. She didn't blame them, in their situation she would have left too.

Anyway now that she wasted her time reading this worthless question sheet she could be on her way. Maybe she would retire early tonight and give her students another day to hand in their essays so she could get more sleep.

And so, stifling a yawn, Minerva McGonagall carelessly tossed the questionnaire in the wastebasket and left the classroom. Unknowingly leaving it to two disappointed first years, who were trying oh so hard to figure out what had happened to their enchanted parchment. It was charmed to ask people exactly the questions they did not want to be asked and was quite useful in practical jokes, but they couldn't find it anywhere.


	21. Sybil Trelawney

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter

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_Sybil Trelawney was the Divination professor at Hogwarts_

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_**S is for Sybil Trelawney**_

I close my eyes and count to ten. I will not let them get to me this time. But, when I open my eyes again I can already feel the tears_**. **_So much for this year being better than the others.

"Oh, look, she's crying. I guess she can't see the future, otherwise she would have known to avoid us."

Then the laughter, the high pitched, giggly annoying laughter. That put me over the edge I think. For the first time in my life I completely lost control of myself.

"I see you. All three of you, you are standing together in a dark, deserted room. Scared, you try to run, but find yourselves trapped. Now you know you're doomed to die there and you start panicking, but it's of no use," then I pause a moment for dramatic effect. Next the sweet smile, "What did I say?"

They run away screaming and I can't help but feel pleased with myself. Of course, I didn't actually see anything, but I they've never actually seen me get a prophecy. They've only been bothering me about it since my first real prophecy.

It's kind of scary actually. All of a sudden you just blank out for a moment. When you come back everyone is staring at you and you have no idea what you just said. That's the worst part, I could be prophesying my own death and I wouldn't know. Nothing can stop me either, I've been told. Once I start I keep going despite people's best efforts to make me stop.

I "woke" several times to a duel breaking out around me because of what I said in my trance. This was the first time that I was able to manipulate my "gift" instead of it using me.

Though, I'm bound to get in trouble for it later, it was worth it. I might not always be able to see the future, but I have a hunch, this is going to help me in the long run.


	22. Zacharias Smith

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

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_Zacharias Smith was a Hufflepuff student in Harry's year at Hogwarts. Though he joined the DA, he was selfish and a coward.  
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_**Z is for Zacharias Smith**_

So I don't believe everything people tell me. Especially when only one person says it's true. The more people who say it, the more likely it is to be true. Excuse me for not believing Harry Potter. The only proof we have is his word.I need proof. That's why I joined the DA. I wanted to see if he could be trusted. I don't let anyone make decisions or opinions for me. From the beginning I didn't think very much of him. He didn't seem to know what he was doing and that girl Granger was doing everything for him. Wasn't he able to do anything for himself?

It got worse as it went on. When he was teaching us, he talked about everything so strangely. I didn't understand how he could think like that. He was talking about it all like it was his life. It was creepy. No one else seemed to pick up on it, but it was all I could see. The person we were trusting to train us was addicted to the fight. He needed the excitement and adrenaline rushing in his veins. That's the person we were all relying on?

Then he went off on that reckless mission and almost got several students killed. Luckily the only one who died was an escaped convict, Serious Black? Was that his name? It doesn't really matter. What does matter is Harry Potter revealed his inability to think if others before himself. This showed me I was right, he was not a person to be followed blindly.

The next year, harry became darker. There was an aura of secrecy around him and he shamelessly sucked up to Slughorn. No normal person would even want to be near that man. Harry would disappear for large parts of the evening and students were being used as personal messengers between him and Dumbledore. It felt like they were plotting against us. Like we weren't good enough to know what they were doing. How can I full trust someone when they don't trust me? The fiasco at the end of that year confirmed it all. Dumbledore and Harry came back from a journey only the two of them went on that no one else knew about and Dumbledore ends up dead. Such a strange parallel to Harry's fourth year. It just couldn't be a coincidence,

Then Harry disappears. The beginning of the next year he doesn't show up. Sure there's the whole You-Know-Who thing, but wouldn't the school have been a better place to get info and help from the students? Maybe let them think they were involved or something? He wasn't there when the school was taken over. He wasn't there when students were being tortured. That was the final blow, an absentee hero isn't a hero at all.

Is it any wonder I didn't trust him enough to stay for the Battle of Hogwarts?


	23. Poppy Pomfrey

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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_Poppy Pomfrey is the nurse at the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts  
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_**P is for Poppy Pomfrey**_

___Who is Poppy Pomfrey?_

The woman in question could only stare at the mysterious flyer with the aforementioned title. She kept reading.

_She has worked here in the infirmary for all of our years at Hogwarts, yet none of us actually know her. All we know is she's always in the Hospital Wing, she can fix practically any ailment that affects the student body and her first name is Poppy. We rely on her to fix our problems and never give her anything in return. Never give her respect or curiosity or even a second thought once we leave that Hospital Wing all cured. We, the creators of this flyer, suggest we all take a moment out of our day in the next week to ask Poppy about her life and show her how much we appreciate her constant presence and abilities she has brought with her to Hogwarts in order to help each and every one of us._

Now Madame Pomfrey laughed. The students couldn't figure her out, was that the whole point of this mini-poster? Did they ever think she didn't want them to know all about her life? It's not like the other professors went around sharing their personal lives, in fact if they did McGonagall would never have been hired. But that was beside the point, didn't she deserve the same respect as the other teachers?

Anyway, it's not like Poppy could tell the students anything. She was more than she appeared, but she had to keep that a secret. She sighed, it wasn't really her fault she had to play this part. It was all for the very safety of the students that she had to hide who she really was.

Still, she was getting tired of this when she actually though about it. Everything would be better when this was all over, even though that probably wouldn't happen until after her death. No one really knew what they were working for or why she was here. Her boss had only known that it was important for her to be at Hogwarts at this time as the school nurse. Such was her dedication to her job that she listened. She knew the importance of her task extended beyond that of her own life and she was willing to sacrifice that life for this cause.

Sure, she loses perspective at times, but she always remembers the aim of her organization and is able to continue despite her doubts. Poppy is a very able woman, the only problem is she forgets that at some moments.

But that is neither here nor there, she turns her head away from the poster and gives it a small shake. At this point her old memories leave her and she takes down the poster. She goes back to her duties, thinking and acting like a nurse, hiding her old identity even from herself. If it was not for the pretending she wouldn't be able to deal with all of this. After all, Poppy could never be a nurse; but Madame Pomfrey is one.


	24. Ludovic Bagman

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

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_Ludovic Bagman was the head of the Department of Magical Games and before that he was a beater on the Wimbourne Wasps Quidditch team_

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_**L is for Ludovic Bagman**_

This was actually a little scary, all these people watching and disapproving of him for something he hadn't even done. Oh, maybe he had done it, but he still hadn't meant to. Why wouldn't anyone believe him?

_"Ludo Bagman, you have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges relating to the activities of Death Eaters. We have heard the evidence against you, and are about to reach our verdict. Do you have anything to add to your testimony before we pronounce judgment?"_ The man droned on as though he was expected to ask the question, but it didn't really matter in his mind whether the youth before him answered. Ludo could tell this was not going to be an easy case for him.

_"Only, well- I know I've been a bit of an idiot,"_ Ludo gulped when he finished, the look on the man's face was not one of a generous judge. The man seems to want to convict him merely for sitting there, but still shouldn't the chair's inactivity tell him that Ludo was innocent? That was what the chair detected, right? Guilt not malice? If it was the latter Ludo hoped the trial would end before he wanted to strangle the judge.

_"Ludovic Bagman, you were caught passing information to Lord Voldemort's supporters. For this, I suggest a term of imprisonment in Azkaban lasting no less than..." _He couldn't believe it would they actually send him away for doing something unintentionally? He thought he was helping the Ministry and Rockwood was a friend of his dad's... Maybe a job at the Ministry would even follow, he had said. Was that too much to hope for? He could have higher ambitions than Quidditch player for the rest of his life. That wasn't a crime, was it? He just wanted to better himself, and serving the government was one of the best ways, was it not?

It wasn't his fault that Rockwood was a spy. the Ministry themselves should have found out and warned him so Ludo wasn't in this mess in the first place. That's right it was all their fault and they were just looking for someone to blame it on. He stuck out his chin a bit, he wouldn't let them use him as an example. They already had Rockwood. They probably wouldn't though, he flashed a quick smile at some of the witches in the jury, he was famous and for all intents and purposes, innocent. They hadn't a shred of proof. Contented with that thought he almost didn't notice the juror stand up to congratulate him on his win the past Sunday. He did notice the applause and gave a bow of his head.

The courtroom was all abuzz, he barely heard that he was free. Maybe, with the fan base he had he would make it in the Ministry after all.

And if they wouldn't convict him for this, what else could he get away with?

_

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_**A/N: **The italicized words were taken exactly from what JK Rowling wrote for this scene. I just thought Ludo deserved his side to be told without sacrificing the canon of Harry Potter.

This marks the two year anniversary of this story It's hard to believe I've been working on it for so long._  
_


	25. Filius Flitwick

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one-shot for each letter_

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_Flitwick was the charms professor at Hogwarts  
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_**F is for Filius Flitwick  
**_

We all knew Severus wasn't to be trusted. Still, we wanted to believe in him, no we needed to believe in him. If he was good, maybe we could still triumph. Maybe, if he really was good, Albus didn't actually die. It could have all been elaborately planned between the two of them, but this was the most heartbreaking maybe. I wouldn't fool myself with it for long. It was only denial, my hope that the world was something other than what it was. Dealing with an idealized world makes it all the harder to come back to reality. And such a bleak reality we inhabited!

But Severus was supposed to be one of us. He already switched sides. He helped us hide Nicholas Flamel's stone. He was Albus's most trusted confidante. He couldn't have fooled Albus. However, once Albus was dead it was a bit easier to doubt Severus. Only the human die and humans err. Albus was the only one who fully trusted Severus, the only one who vouched for him, and he was gone because of it. Severus went back to his real master that day and none of us can forget that. We didn't see his retreat from Hogwarts as anything other than cowardly, on better days you could imagine he left so quickly to protect the students from the other Death Eaters...No, no. It's not that easy to find good in people. I can't let myself be so foolish.

When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, we really can't say his name now, took control he had the nerve to install Severus as the new headmaster. I guess killing the old one guarantees you the position, ha. The students are suffering for it and it seems the only thing keeping us Professors here is fear. Fear that the students' lives will be worse if we leave. Fear that we will be killed if we leave. If we Hogwarts Professors banded together we could drive the evil from the school and protect the students, but with Severus turned traitor and Albus dead we can't quite trust each other. Albus was the link between us, the one who could see through everyone, except Severus. Sure Severus had some warning signs, but Albus said they were nothing and we listened. Now we all wonder, is there anyone else who fooled Albus? And won't they be even more dangerous of they hid it so well?

Speaking of hiding my choir has become adept at the disillusionment charm. I have also been having them memorize the layout of Hogwarts. It's amazing what you can hide in songs. If an emergency occurs, they will be able to hide themselves and others until they can evacuate the castle. I think other teachers are taking similar precautions, but none of us trust each other enough to share. I would tell Minerva, but she has enough to deal with right now.

How I wish we could only know. Know how this all works out. Know when we would be tested. Know when we could help. Know why Severus did it. Know why Albus trusted him so completely.

If we could only know...


	26. Gwenog Jones

**Harry Potter Alphabet**

_In which there is a character and a one shot for every letter._

* * *

_Gwenog was an excellent Quidditch player and captain of the all-female Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies_

* * *

_**G is for Gwenog Jones**_

"There's a Potions essay due tomorrow, a Charms paper due the next day, a practical exam in Transfiguration the day after that, and," Gwenog took off and whatever her teammate was complaining about was lost in the wind.

She had missed this the most when she was away from Hogwarts. Here, on her broom, she was safe and no one could catch her. They could try of course, but the sky was her realm of safety. No one would ruin that with talk of school. In fact most voices could not be heard so high, her team had to shout to communicate. She smiled. That meant most of them opted to abandon talking altogether and attempted some sort of demented gesturing system that got their point across, at the amusement of the other members of the team.

She did a loop around the stadium as the rest of her team trickled in. They were coming late already and it was only the second practice after tryouts. She sighed and shook her head; those thoughts weren't her concern up here. She zoomed on her broom, pushing it to its limit and spiraling around the goal posts on the opposite end of the pitch before returning to the ground where the rest of her team was waiting.  
They never seemed to understand her joy of flying, taking to Quidditch simply to pass the time, be active, or try and "get the girls" as her beaters told her (they never understood why they had no luck either). To them practice meant flying around a bit, getting chewed out for not taking it seriously enough, and then having a laugh at her expense. It showed when they got killed game after game because they didn't prepare.

Gwenog didn't need them to love flying as much as she did, if they did she would never get a moment's peace, but she wanted them to understand it. Maybe tell her she was normal once in a while. Give her a pat on the back for her hard work and her improving performance. They didn't. No matter what she did, they weren't trying any harder to understand.

And that's why, she vowed, one day, I will be the best Quidditch player out there. Then they will have to understand.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, that's the end of it then. I apologize for making you all wait so long (if any of you still care about it) for a short and not quite worth it last letter, but I won't make excuses except to say life got in the way.

I hope you enjoyed the Harry Potter Alphabet!


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